Rampion 2: Public hearings on windfarm expansion begin

The wind farm extension could see an extra 90 turbines built off the Sussex coast

A series of public hearings regarding plans to expand an offshore wind farm begins on Tuesday.

The Rampion 2 project would see the existing site of 116 turbines off the West Sussex coast expanded by up to 90 turbines.

These latest hearings are part of the Planning Inspectorate's examination phase for the project.

Some critics of the project are concerned about the wind farm's impact on tourism.

Rampion 2, an expansion on the existing windfarm which opened in 2018, could generate enough electricity to power the equivalent of more than one million homes, according to operator RWE Renewables.

The hearings take place at a Brighton hotel across four days, during which time members of the public can register as an interested party.

The Planning Inspectorate will complete a full review of the development consent order for the project, which is due to take six months, before recommendations are made to the secretary of state with a final decision expected in no less than a year.

In December a planning meeting at Arun District Council heard concerns from councillors that the project could "decimate" local tourism and highlighted "numerous" complaints of "continual" night time noise during the construction of the first Rampion windfarm.

The route for the project's cabling infrastructure was decided by RWE last year following public consultations, and will take electricity from the planned new turbines to the network substation at Bolney, with ocean cables coming up at Climping beach.

Speaking on BBC Sussex, Chris Tomlinson from RWE said: "This is a very important project and it is part of the government's critical renewable infrastructure that we need in order to reduce those [energy] prices."

Should the project achieve consent, RWE said construction could start in 2026-27, with the wind farm fully operational by 2030.

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